


Dear Pop

by lovingtimetravelexpert



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Date Night, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Medical School, Mentions of Suicide, Please Don't Hate Me, Raelle flirts too, Raelle is all mushy over Scylla, Raylla, Scylla is very flirty, but more fluff, fast burn, trigger warning suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovingtimetravelexpert/pseuds/lovingtimetravelexpert
Summary: Raelle Collar, first year med school student, arrived in Boston and got more than she could have dreamed of.She might begin to like Boston for a reason.A brunette, blue eyed reason that is.
Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 7
Kudos: 67





	1. Made it to Boston

The air cracked with heat when Raelle finally jumped out of her ancient and fairly rusty pickup, a leather duffelbag swung over her shoulder. The rest of her belongings were tied to the loading space. Not there was much for her to take with her. Two bags with her favorite postcards, her rather best clothes and a patched up blanket were all she had taken with her from her home far away. Finally the trip east ended. It had been a hell of a ride for her and considering the heat shimmering above its blueish hood, her old Chevy was as happy as she was about having reached their destination.

With a frown she checked the address again, wiping the curtain of hair the color of straw out of her face and comparing the number in the advert to the one attached to the five story building.

Yep, that was about right.

Jumping onto the loading space, she retrieved her two other bags before entering the red bricked house and riding the elevator to the fourth floor.

Shortly after the doorbell rang in a rather annoying noise between a chime and a screech the door was yanked open with a redhead sporting a huge dimpled smile behind. “Hi! You must be Raelle.”

Raelle herself looked at the other woman warily. If she had thought the other woman being quite enthusiastic from the quantity of emoticons in her mails, she now started to believe that Tally Craven was a way too chirpy person to be real. Smile dimpled and eyes shining like polished hazelnuts. “Um, yeah,” Raelle mumbled, letting herself be dragged by the other into the apartment.

“I'm Tally Craven. We wrote.”

Nodding shortly, Realle let her gaze wander around what seemed to be the kitchen, slash living room.

The place seemed neat. Not too big but not cramped either. Very clean. Kinda modern. So much different than the old house she and her father had lived together. She could totally deal with her bubbly roommate to be, “Where is the room?”

“Ups. Sorry, I should give you the tour,” Tally said tongue in cheek and sprang to the task of showing Raelle the place they would share for the next four years.

Except for the kitchen/living room there was one bathroom with a shower and three bedrooms. Raelle readjusted the flannel shirt sliding down her shoulder at the weight of the duffelbag slowly becoming too heavy. Passing one closed door, Tally explained, “Abigail is not here at the moment. But you'll meet her this evening. I'm sure you'll get along fine.”

Abigail was the name of the other roommate as Raelle recalled from her previous exchange with Tally.

They finally made it to Raelle's room at the other end of the apartment. It had a closet, a medi large bed and a desk in front of a window. Furnished just like the ad had promised. That would be all she needed.

Satisfied Raelle dropped her bags unceremoniously to the floor and retrieved her blanket from one of them. She almost did not notice Tally still standing in the room until the other woman talked again.

“So happy for you to have finally made it. I hope you had a nice trip anyway. The summer heat can be a lot.”

Scoffing, Raelle turned around. “'m used to the heat being from south and all.”

“Oh yeah. I almost forgot,” Tally fidgeted seeming to struggle with Raelle being reserved. “Why are you studying in Boston anyway?”

Stretching the blanket above the bed made Raelle think about dry summers, iced tea and her mom's melodic voice. She mumbled, “Felt like a change of scene.” That was not really the truth but she was not into telling a practical stranger what her reason was to move across half the country to attend med school.

\----

When Raelle was finally alone, she was able to take a breath. Tally was a nice person but after hours and hours spend on the road behind the wheel or tucked on the bank to sleep, Raelle wished for nothing but a minute to pause and relax.

Letting herself drop onto the bed, Raelle closed her eyes. This place wasn't home. No place had been since that one fateful day. But it was a nice place to stay. She couldn't help the feeling of missing her pop already. When tears pricked behind her eyes, she sat up and walked over to the desk. Picking up a postcard she'd had bought at a gas station when she'd made it to Massachusetts Raelle started writing in her messy handwriting she knew her pop would decipher,

_Dear Pop, how are you? Made it to Boston._

After finishing the postcard addressed to her father, she unpacked the rest of her stuff. She hung up a poster of her favorite rock band above her bed and put her favorite family photo of the holy trinity as her pop had used to call them on her bedside table. The room felt at least a bit more comfortable.

When a loud grumble made Raelle aware of her having not eaten anything after breakfast, she wondered if she should have asked Tally if all of the roommates provided only for themselves or if they split the bill.

Whatever she could not wait to go to the grocery store to pick up a rush meal. Her hunger lead her into the kitchen. Maybe there was something edible in the fridge. She could repay her new roommies afterwards.  
\-------

The first three days in Boston had been... okay-ish. Raelle had managed to find the Boston University School of medicine in the south end of Boston and had attended a few courses already; biology, physics and public health were some of those courses that Raelle was sure to be fairly easy. Even if she did not want to slack off she could not help but feel a bit melancholic about her future.

Though the feeling of sadness that threatened to creep into her chest reading her family name on the course sheet, was more welcome to her than the annoyance she felt whenever she was at the apartment and Abigail Bellweather was there, too.

To say they had a rough start would have been an euphemism. When Abigail had returned home three days ago and found Raelle hovering about a piece of cake – Abigail's cake, Raelle had learned –, the door of the fridge a crack open and crumbles falling off her lips and onto the kitchen counter, Abigail had yelled, “WHAT THE HELL?!”

Neither the halfhearted apology nor Tally had been able to smooth out the rivalry that had been born that very moment between the angry Abigail Bellweather and a too-hungry-to-really-care Raelle.

Since then Abigail would glare and snap at Raelle when they were in the same room. Raelle's indifference about Abigail's fit had transformed into anger fast. Who gets wound up like this about a piece of cake anyway? It's not like Raelle could have known that the piece of cake was reserved for the one and only Princess Bellweather.

Abigail had poked Raelle's fire too often, the nasty comments about Raelle's hairdo, cornrow-style braids on the left side, were one stroke too much. So yesterday they had almost been at each other throats if it hadn't been for Tally.

If it hadn't been for Tally Raelle, probably would have left. If it hadn't been for Tally's cheerfulness – and the secure and relatively low rent.

Raelle sighed, knocking her pencil against her notepad in front of her. She would have to deal with Bellweather somehow. She could not imagine the last three days be a role model for the next years. The thought alone made her head ache, as she waited in the lecture hall of her next course this week before it even started.

Biochemistry...Yikes. Biochemistry really was not her strong suit. Raelle just knew she would have to put the most effort in this course, if she wanted to keep up good grades. Although it was hardly possible, when the lecture would not start soon.

Becoming more and more annoyed, Raelle glanced into the course description once more. Biochemistry was to be taught by some person called Prof. Izadora L'Amara. To spare time Raelle tried to picture the woman in her head. Maybe she was an old lady, needing crutches to get to class and never being on time because of it. Perhaps she had tiny legs that would not allow her to get soon to class.

And so Raelle spend the next few minutes inventing stories about her absent professor of biochemistry, not noticing at first the person positioning themselves in front of the lectern. Not until the hushing around ebbed away.

When Raelle looked up from her fantasizing, she was thrown into the next daze.

There at the lectern stood the most beautiful woman Raelle had ever seen. Brunette hair brushing her shoulders, a sharp chin framing petite but full lips. However, the thing which put Raelle under a spell were the eyes below perfectly sculptured eyebrows. Eyes of ethereal color like the sky above kissed by the sun on a summer's day. The pencil dropped.

It took all of her willpower not to cower in shame, when the pencil rolled away and dropped a few steps further down to the front rows. The wood knocking loudly onto the linoleum.

The beautiful woman scowled slightly confused, a delicate eyebrow lifted slightly but started talking – or continued? Raelle was not sure. “Due to an emergency Prof. L'Amara will not be able to make it today. Instead I will do the course introduction with you.” The woman buried her hands into the pockets of her slim fit jeans hugging her legs and hips just right. Those ethereal eyes scanned the room and a confident smile sparkled on her lips. The woman added with her soft voice yet in a confident tone, “I am the tutor for biochemistry. If you have any question, don't be afraid to come to me after class.”

She turned around and walked the few steps towards the massive board hanging on the back wall of the lecture hall. With a short chunk of chalk she scribbled down a few letters. Scylla Ramshorn. “My name is Scylla Ramshorn. To contact me you can write me an email to...”

Wanting to imprint the name into her notepad, Raelle began to miss her pencil all the more. Shit.

She leaned forward trying to spot her pencil somewhere.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

It was a lost cause.

While Scylla Ramshorn continued to present the most important steps of the curriculum, Raelle was in desperate search for something to write. Her habit to sit as far away as possible from others made it impossible for her to ask a neighbor for a pen.

Surrendering to the fate of not being able to take notes, Raelle chose to concentrate her focus on the woman up front, which was no problem at all.

That smile which had formed earlier on those perfect lips bloomed as the dark haired tutor began to talk about biochemistry. Those amazing blue eyes had a glint in them. Scylla Ramshorn was without a doubt totally taken with the subject and somehow Raelle felt a small spark of excitement, too, listening to Scylla explaining the discipline. She looked even more beautiful than before. Her green and gray blouse with wide sleeves made those sparkling blue eyes stand out even more.

The lecture was all over too fast. One moment Raelle was hanging onto Miss Ramshorn's lips and the next people began to spring from their sets and strolling out of the room.

Miss Ramshorn had turned to the board wishing it clean.

While everyone left, Raelle started to search for her pencil. She bowed down to retrieve that awful piece of wrongly committed first impression three rows further to the front.

At least nobody did cause a scene about the epic pencil drop.

Stretching her fingers pulled at the pencil until she got a good grasp.

Finally! Raelle thought smiling in triumph, when she held the pencil between her fingers. She rose up and lifted her gaze upwards and away from the pencil.

Oh...

Ocean blue eyes met hers.


	2. Met a girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys! Now we'll get to see our two cuties meet. :)

Ocean blue eyes met hers.

Raelle was lost for words and felt her triumphal smile fall from her lips.

“So it was _your_ pencil making a more notable entrance than me?” Scylla Ramshorn asked with a smirk mischief glinting in those blue eyes. Her voice was so different from before. Deeper. Sensual. But also sweet and full. It reminded Raelle of smokey whiskey and sweet honey.

“I am so sorry,” Raelle rasped almost dropping the pencil again.

The brunette was up close even more beautiful. How on earth could a person be this beautiful? Her pale skin looked like fairy dust, her full lips like a soft rose petal. Freckles grazed the skin making her look even more divine, emphasizing the perfection with signs of imperfection. Then there were the eyes. Eyes so blue, Raelle's stomach coiled in excitement.

The older woman chuckled. Her smirk changed into a smile. “Don't be.” Her adorable nose slightly crinkled and Raelle felt more grounded witnessing this act of sheer cuteness. “At least even the guy in the back dozing off jolted awake at that.”

“Glad to serve,” Raelle scoffed amused and glad about Scylla's sense of humor. It was definitely impossible to refer to her as Miss Ramshorn now. Even in her mind. Riding that current moment of mental control she quickly added. “But may I buy you a coffee as an official apology though?”

Excitement crawled over her spine when she noticed Scylla's eyes slowlymustering her from head to toe and biting her lower lip. The motion dragged Raelle's eyes exactly to the well formed lips. She could understand the need to nibble at them. She would totally do the same thing if she could.

“You know, you won't get better grades in biochemistry, if you flirt with the tutor,” the brunette bluntly stated.

Raelle debated whether she should reply something in the line of getting into Scyllas good grades for the biochemistry between them or not. But she choked back the remark. Clearly the beauty before her was getting into her head. She usually was not driven by hormones. Instead Raelle chose the smarter way testing the waters. “It can be just coffee, if you want.”

A half smile and a raised eyebrow were the only response, until her tutor for biochemistry offered her hand. “My name is Scylla.”

Smiling Raelle took the other woman's hand ignoring the tingling feeling where their hands met in a soft but firm handshake. “So I've heard. I'm Raelle.”

“It is very nice to meet you and your pencil, Raelle.”

Chuckling she tried to ignore the twist in her chest at the sound of her name rolling from Scylla's tongue. “So coffee?”

Scylla's affirmative hum was enough for Raelle to spring into action. Grabbing tighter onto her worn out brown leather jacket she had thrown over her arm, she now turned towards the door. If she'd known she would meet the most beautiful girl in her life, she would not have chosen to wear her worn out boyfriend jeans and old gray shirt. Especially since that woman was an enigma on two legs.

When they left the lecture hall Raelle stopped, finally noticing the dent in her not so smooth plan. “Ehm, maybe you should lead the way? Since I'm new and all.”

Scylla chuckled. Her hands were buried in the pockets of her jeans, “Follow me then. I know a great place.” She passed Raelle letting her catch a whiff of lavender and something else sweet but enticing.

“Okay.” Curiously Raelle asked, “Where are you taking me?”

“Shhh,” the brunette hushed with a wide and contagious grin making Raelle huff a laugh.

Without thinking twice Raelle followed her biochemistry tutor through the mass of students taking notice of her purposeful strides out of the university and over the campus. There was something different about Scylla and Raelle was intrigued to uncover the mystery of the beauty. “So biochemistry, huh? Why are you so interested in this subject?”

Again the other woman nibbled her lips, teeth scratching over her lower lip. “I was always fascinated how everything was connected. The air we breath delivers oxygen. The oxygen pumps in our blood. Everything in our life and body works like a clockwork. Even when we die there are so many processes going on in our bodies preparing us to decay and become one again with the soil and life gets born again. Death is still one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of life. Even biochemically seen.”

“Death?” Raelle asked and could not help keeping the edge out of the question. Suddenly she felt run over. What had begun as adventure with excitement bubbling right there in her stomach about the strange but gorgeous woman had deflated. Death was part of the reason she was in Boston.

  
“I want to become a forensic pathologist,” Scylla's voice became an anchor of the here and now. Yet there was a tilt of something else in her tone. Seriousness chased away the playful hilt, words uttered above a whisper. “It's a field of interest to me for a long time now.”

Life and death. Death and life. All came back to it. Two sides of one coin. Raelle became silent as she pondered on Scylla's words. If humans were nothing but flesh and blood, molecules and atoms, cell growth and cell decay, it would be so easy. But they weren't, which was why saving lives was the most important goal to her.

Scylla, who must have sensed Raelle's discomfort, asked with a gentle and low voice, “I am guessing you are not interested in biochemistry, are you?”

The impossibly blue eyes shone with understanding. It made the blonde wonder how it was possible when Raelle did not even understood herself how she sometimes tripped over an emotional feeling set ablaze. How could she understand something she did not now? Almost sure she was just projecting needs and hopes into the other woman, Raelle shook her her head. “Uh, no. Totally not my subject. I want to become a physician but I want to learn more about health, nutrition and physics to be able to help people. Actually, I suck at biochemistry.”

Not missing a beat Scylla replied with a playful smirk, “You must be in need of a good tutor then.”

Raelle almost bumped into her when she stopped in front of a red bricked building sporting a wooden sign which red _Central Coffee Point_. The wall with nooks and niches blended effortlessly into the feel of tradition of South Boston. Her pop would probably say it just looked old.

“Wait until you are inside,” Scylla promised and led her in. Into some coffee shop in some side street of Boston, secluded from campus but not far away.

Raelle could not imagine anywhere else she would rather be right now. The truth of this was filled with wonder. Hadn't they just met?

Scylla did not promise too much. When Raelle stepped inside, she walked into a different world. Wooden tables cut like slices of trees, chairs chopped out of massive wood, looking as if they grew out of the earth. Pots with plants overgrowing in each corner. Everything so natural and organic an in stark contrast to the bricks in the background. This place was rustic, old... and overall magical.

The large windows flooded the room with the bright light of summer. Today had not been as hot as it was three days ago. But the sky was cloud-free and the afternoon sun cast long rays of light between the mullions of the windows onto the tables. The whole thing reminded Raelle of walking into a clearing. Maybe some mystical clearing with a stone circle looking too much like witchcraft to be a coincidence.

She turned around and met the other girl's smile with her own. A comment lay on her tongue. Right then she noticed the board with postcards next to it near the entrance. “Is it okay if we stop here for a minute?”

“Sure,” Scylla confirmed with an amused face.

Raelle browsed through the postcards with swift fingers. There was one with a photo of the interior of this very room, another with a witty Oscar Wild quote and one with a comic coffee mug looking exhausted and demanding a refill. She picked one of each and held them up, “Got it.”

When they finally picked their seats Scylla had still that amused face going on. “Postcard?”

“Yeah, I write them to my pop.” Raelle rubbed her neck. “You must think it's weird because it's 2021.”  
  


“No, I think it is sweet,” Scylla said with a light voice and a small smile which in an instant turned deeper and sultry. “Though I am a bit disappointed to find out you don't have a weird postcard collection you want to show me after coffee.”

Despite herself Raelle felt heat rising to her cheeks. Scylla had sass alright. The worst part being that her hands skimmed nonchalantly over the menu as if she did not just shameless flirt with her. Usually it was Raelle who did the flirting. It was nice to get the attention especially from such a beautiful and smart woman. But the words made Raelle think about the bag of postcards she had taken along. It was not that kind of postcard collection Scylla meant but still...

“Where do you come from anyway?”

“Um,” Raelle folded her hands on her lap and focused on them. “South Carolina, near Georgia. Small town, dusty and hot. Nothing special.”

She felt Scylla's eyes rack over her without having to look up. If she wanted to know more, she did not let it show, though.

“Where are you from?” Raelle asked.

Taking a short intake of breath Scylla answered vaguely and a broken smile flickered on her lips, “Been here. Done that.”

Before Raelle could ask about details a waitress came along and Scylla seemed very eager to order a classical coffee all of a sudden.

It was odd. For the split of a second the smile of the other girl had dropped while she dodged the question. Instead of probing Raelle turned to the waitress and chose a caramel latte macchiato for herself. The sweet mixture was her favorite kind of coffee since she had been a kid. She never liked the bitter taste of the pure brew.

“So. How does a southern girl end up at the east coast?” Leaning forward in her wooden chair Scylla watched her unblinkingly. The shine in Scylla's eyes returned. The blue hue sparkling like the color of the ocean brimming close to the horizon.   
  


Bewitching. That's what those eyes were to Raelle. Together with the obvious interest of Scylla to get to know her the southern girl felt flustered. She folded her hands on the table's surface and rubbed her hands. “Um, well long story short to follow my mama's footsteps.”

A suspicious eyebrow flitted upwards on Scylla's face. She hummed. “Sensing there is something deeper behind this.”  
  


“Yep,” Raelle pressed out. But she could not help herself but give an opening. “Maybe I tell you at a second meeting.”

“I'm counting on it.” A wide smile edging on a grin bloomed on Scylla's face and maybe Raelle was screwed but maybe she totally fine with it.

\---------

Two hours later Raelle was back at her apartment. Two hours of talking about medicine, about the most frightening and boring professors, about why pencils were so damn loud when they fell. Two hours of talking about deep stuff and nothing at all. Two hours of words on the brim of flirting and eyes of invitation. One coffee had turned into two and afterwards Raelle had insisted on walking Scylla home. Since she lived close to campus in a small apartment she shared with a childhood friend and she did not have to walk far the dark haired girl had laughed about Raelle's offer. She did not refuse though and fixed Raelle with her gaze as they strolled through Southern Boston on a warm summer day.

Raelle felt lightheaded. Back in her room she instantly sat down at her desk and took out the postcard with the funny coffee mug comic because she felt giddy and because she wanted to keep the postcard with the coffee shop's interior to herself to imagine herself sitting in a magical room for a few hours with an enchanting woman. Without hesitation Raelle scribbled words onto the card.

_Dear Pop, how are you? Met a girl._

The grin spreading on her lips was wide when she thought about the promise of seeing Scylla again. They had planned to see each other on Saturday.

A date. Scylla's words. Not Raelle's. She wouldn't have assumed. Although signs were there. It was unbelievable. How lucky she was that today professor L'Amara had not been able to show up in class. Now here she was. Looking forward to see the other again.

A loud thud came from outsider her room, immediately followed by a frustrated, “SHIT!”

Abigail.

  
For a split of a second Raelle thought about not looking after the tall woman not in the mood to face her but her concern was too big. What if she was seriously hurt?

  
Jumping to her feet, Raelle sprinted into the living room where a very angry looking Abigail knelt and glared. At her laptop. On the ground. Broken. She looked up when she noticed Raelle. “My thesis,” she uttered almost disbelievingly.

“It will be fine,” Realle tried to assure her but –

“Nothing will be fine. Without my thesis I will fail and then I will dishonor my family name. I will be the family's failure and disgrace,” Abigail ranted on.

That girl had serious family issues. As far as Raelle knew Abigail's mother was one of the top lawyers in the country having made a renowned name out of the firm Bellweather & daughters. Apparently there was a lot of pressure on her with a lot of family tradition in the background.

In this moment Tally chose to make an entrance into the scene announced by the jingling of keys. When she walked in, she froze at seeing the scene looking like a deer caught in the headlight, “What's going on?”

“Shit is broken,” Abigail explained in not so many words.

“Did Raelle –?”

“What?” Raelle cried offended. “No!”

  
“It wasn't her. This broken shit is my fault. My thesis is gone.”

“Surely you have a save copy, have you not?” Tally carefully asked.

Abigail smiled bitterly. “The one time I made no copy.”

“I can help,” Raelle offered. Like her father Raelle liked fixing things. That not only meant healing people. She liked to make broken things whole again. She had fixed computers so many times, it would not be a waste to take a look at the hard drive. Maybe only the display was broken.

“I don't need your help,” Abigail countered and picked up the broken laptop from the floor only to put it on the bin. “It's over,” she muttered and went to her room smashing the door close.

“Jeez. I don't get why she hates me so much,” Raelle sputtered angry. She just tried to help. It would not have cost Abigail anything to accept her help for once. “It was just a stupid piece of cake.”

“Only it was not,” Tally said. Face all serious. The dimpled smile all gone.  
  


“What do you mean?” Confused Raelle blinked at the redhead.

  
“To her it was not just a piece of cake.” Despite all her goofiness and openness Tally Craven now sported a hard expression. Eyes burning. Raelle would have been worried if she had not been more interested in what the other girl would share. “It was the last piece of her birthday cake her mother had sent her. After forgetting about Abigail's birthday for years being all the power driven lawyer.”

Raelle felt like crap. “Shit.”

“Yep. Mom's, huh?”

Sympathy dwelt in Raelle. Sure Abigail still had her mom but Raelle could only imagine how it would have felt to be ignored by her own mother. It was harsh.

“Though you should not eat Abigail's food in general. She does not like it much either. Trust me. Done it a few times,” Tally ended with an ironic smile that lifted the mood.

“Thanks for letting me know,” Raelle told Tally before taking the laptop from the bin and into her room. There was a thing she needed to get fixed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to publish the chapters every friday. :) Two more to go. The best ist yet to come. ;)


	3. Made some friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NEW TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of suicide. Please, don't read if it triggers you in some way.

“Cliche much?” Scylla chuckled. “Living the image, I see,” She grinned with risen eyebrows at Raelle's Chevy looking way too gorgeous and to be real and too mischievous for Raelle not to understand the joke like it was meant.

The brunette was wearing a sleeveless white summer dress reaching just beneath her knees and it was doing all kind of things to Raelle. Fuzzy feeling fluttered in her stomach, a smile stretched her lips to a smile she could not stop and her fingers itched to touch and feel the material. She tried hard not to be too affected.

“Ouch. Should I feel offended?” Raelle chuckled opening the door to the passenger seat to get her hands busy.

Not the best idea because as the woman passed her she got a whiff of the unique scent, the mix of lavender and something else. But there was something more potent, richer... like perfume, flowery and tempting pressing a burning stamp into Raelles's lower stomach. But there was not only the harsh twinge of attraction. She was stupidly giddy about the other girl having dressed up nicely and bothered to take perfume for their date. So Raelle was not the only one who had put some effort this time.

She wore a form fitting black pants and black top this time. A yellow shirt with squared black lines open, sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Given that it was a rather hot day for Boston anyway she had not wanted to put on too much but still wanted to wear her best clothes – except for her suit she had left at home in South Carolina. She even made sure that her braids were done neatly. Based Scylla's immediate reaction she had done good and had felt hot despite herself when ocean blue eyes racked over her slowly, taking her in piece by piece.

“You're too smart to take this kind of joke personally,” Scylla seated herself onto the front seat with a wide smile and Raelle had a hard time to keep her eyes from the beautiful calves on display. She never had a thing for calves but she guessed she had just a very strong thing for Scylla. “Also,” Scylla added with a less playful but promising smirk, “I appreciate that we are on the same page here.”

Raelle could not fight the smile that split her face and she did not want to. She appreciated Scylla's wordiness and intelligence. It had kept her already on her toes more than once since they had met and maybe she was becoming a glutton for this special kind of excitement, too. Joining into the game of words, she said confidently, “Good. So now that we are on one page I can openly tell you that you look very beautiful today.”

Scylla's smirk turned into a small flustered smile and the brunette took a visible breath watching her almost with caution.

Before Raelle could ruin the moment, she circled her pickup. The cute smile of Scylla was something Raelle stored inside her head, next to the image of the mischievous grin and sultry smirk. She scooted onto the driver seat behind her steering wheel, shifted gear and turned the keys in ignition. Her Chevy spluttered when it came to life.

It vibrated with vigor through the steering wheel. The power of an old motor was a passion she had inherited from her pop. Her lips turned upwards on their own.

“Where are you taking me?” Scylla asked having found her voice again as Raelle pulled out of the parking lot.

  
“Sush,” Raelle huffed jokingly in reminiscence of the other day when Scylla took her to the unearthly coffee shop. Driving through she relaxed in her seat. She was satisfied about being ahead of the brunette with the intoxicating smiles, bewitching eyes and witty remarks. If her fingers hardened their grip on the steering wheel a bit, when she felt those ocean eyes on her, it was only fair to their game.

So they wouldn't overheat in her Chevy, Raelle had planned for a short ride. She had not counted Scylla's proximity in.

“How is your roommate? Still sullen about the infamous cake crisis?” Scylla asked after a while.

Raelle had told Scylla about Abigail's outburst the first time they met and how Raelle did not aggravate her on purpose but couldn't anything about it either. Sighing Raelle gave a short shrug. “Same. Still grumpy. Have learned it comes from her family though.”

“It can't be an excuse for everything,” Scylla replied in a more darker tone.

Somehow Raelle felt again like there was more behind these shady answers. “Why?” She looked over to the dark haired girl seeing her gazing outside the window. Her ocean blue eyes for once weren't clear but shaded like a cloud had cast a shadow over the sea.

  
“We all reach a point in life where we can't have our parents be the excuse to our actions.”

Raelle licked her lips and chose to keep asking this time. “Are you speaking out of experience?”

“I have learned the hard way.” Scylla answered. Hand held in the wind letting it graze her fingers. After a while she seemed to perk up again. “Let's talk about something less depressing.”

“Okay,” Raelle's fingers drummed on the steering wheel. “Like?”  
  


When she looked over to the other girl she noticed a grin breaking on those very inviting lips. “Like you taking me in your pickup truck to a drive-in theater.” Scylla pointed at the big sign they crossed paths. Looking at Raelle again she sported a smug smirk.

“Busted,” the blond chuckled. “You've got me.” Blinking Raelle steered her good old pick up onto the field of the Mendon Drive-in theater.

Scylla chuckled. “Isn't this kinda oldschool?”

Despite the mischievous smile, Raelle could not help but worry whether her companion – date? Date! – appreciated this idea or not. “Don't you like it?”

“Just making fun of you,” Scylla's grin turned into a small smile as did her voice. “I love it. Nobody ever took me to a drive-in theater.”  
  


“Glad to be your first,” Raelle replied.  
  


Scylla's grin turned wicked again and Raelles cheeks hot in consequence when she understood how these words could be misinterpreted.

  
“You're evil,” she muttered.  
  
“I did not say anything,” Scylla faked innocence with a very controlled expression. Her eyes, though, they glinted with something deep. It was like watching ice burn.

  
Mendon Drive-in Theater lay south of Boston not very far from the BU's school of medicine. Buying two tickets for Scylla and herself, she drove towards the rows. Shifting into reverse she drove backwards and parked her Chevy so that her loading space would face the big screen.

She got out of the car and walked over to the loading space.

“Which movie are we watching?” Scylla asked as she rounded the car on her side.

“Death Becomes her.” Climbing up on the loading space Raelle looked down on Scylla and asked herself whether her choice was too oldschool. “Is that okay?”

“Weird stuff about death? Feels like you know me too well, Raelle Collar.” Scylla's smile could melt mountains. The sun reflected in her eyes and caught in her hair so it glowed like kissed with embers.

Maybe, Raelle thought, maybe it was some form of ancient witchcraft mastered by Scylla that kept Raelle enchanted.

“Also it is a real classic and Meryl Streep is always more than okay,” Scylla continued clueless of Raelle's inner musings.

“That's exactly what I thought,” Raelle smiled self-satisfied with her choice and held out a hand for Scylla to grab and curled around the slender and pale fingers sliding into the palm of her hand. Their touch sent chills up her arm and through her body. She helped Scylla onto the loading space and now she stood just so close they almost touched. Again she noticed how they were almost the same height making them a perfect fit. She noticed Scylla's eyes flitting over her face, down to her lips and upwards. The thrill rushing through her was like a struck of lightning.

“So what now?” Scylla husked a few octaves deeper than before.

Raelle gulped. “I've brought snacks and soda.”

Snickering Scylla took a step back and rounded her. Biting into her lips she looked down on Raelle's preparations. “Cooling box and mattress.” Her eyebrows rose. “Someone's prepared.”

“Did not want to disappoint you first time we went out,” Raelle shrugged.

“You certainly do not disappoint.” Scylla sat down on the mattress and sorted the cushions all the while wearing a smirk.

Raelle switched on the speakers she had plugged in earlier. The cable harness beneath the covering leading from her car radio to the back of the driver's cabin was one of the many customizations she had installed into the Chevy together with her Pop. Being satisfied with the sound she plucked two sodas out of the cooler and joined Scylla on the mattress before the movie started.

It was an amazing experience.

When they sometimes touched while watching the movie, they both did not mention it. Both content about sharing a few sandwiches and drinking sodas while snickering about funny jokes, obscure scenes and ridiculous plot twists.

When they stayed a while longer after the movie while other cars left the theater, both did not move to change anything about it.

When Raelle jumped from the loading space to buy two more tickets to whatever movie was playing after this one, so they would not have to leave their bubble, neither of them called out the fact they would not really watch a second movie. Not even when Raelle turned the speakers down, practically muting them to give all her focus to the girl next to her.

When Scylla gazed at Raelle intensely with glowing eyes as dusk was falling, it felt strange and familiar at the same time.

Raelle felt content about her being just here with Scylla talking about anything and everything. Something shifted inside her, when she made Scylla chuckle with a dry delivered joke. A grounded feeling far from the heartbreak that had brought her to this exact moment.

After a while of silence the brunette buried her teeth into her lips. “Am I getting the promised story how a southern girl would end up at the east coast now?”

Like whiplash it was there again. The sinking feeling that made her loose her footing.

Images shot through her head and em0tions chased after them.

Her home.

Longing.

Hope.

Her pop.

Sadness.

Regret.

Fear.

Her mama.

Misery.

Anger.

Sorrow.

Despair.

She swallowed so hard at the strain in her throat tears stung her eyes or maybe they came there on their own.

“Are you okay?” She heard Scylla ask as if through her screen as her ears droned.

No, she was not. The earth had again been stolen beneath her feet just as she felt grounded. The transition from being stupidly happy to brokenhearted too harsh.

She jerked her body upwards needing to move.

Bowed forward Raelle tried to control her breath.

“Raelle?”

Shit. Here she was screwing up her first date with a wonderful woman sporting a half cooked panic attack. Worst timing ever.

“Sorry,” she rasped out and lifted her head. She could not look at Scylla though. Clearing her throat she tried explaining, “I – Uh – it's my mom. She – She died.”

Bending her legs she circled them with an arm to get herself to calm down. A deep breath. “She had worked here in Boston hospital. That's why I am up here. She worked in the hospital. Emergency Room.”

“What happened?” Scylla had shifted forward so she was sitting next to her but not touching. Raelle was glad she did not because she was not sure if she could be able to held herself together or if she would crumble to the touch.

“It was supposed to be a short job. Helping out at the hospital she learned the job at. Turned out, it wasn't.”

Instead of pushing Raelle to continue Scylla just waited until the blonde was ready.

  
“She was ground to the bone with double shifts. Exhausted, hopeless, willing to come home. Before she could she died.” Raelle paused her rambling. This was the hardest part she had trouble to comprehend still believing her home did want to come home but being too drained from everything around her she felt she had no other choice. “She – she took her own life.”

“I'm sorry,” Scylla whispered so low Raelle almost did not hear.

  
With a shrug Raelle tried to shake it off. “I guess it will be fine one day.”

“No, it won't. It will never be fine,” Scylla mumbled darkly.

Surprised Raelle turned and looked at her since her inner turmoil started. She saw the deep darkness inside the ocean eyes. A rough edge so similar to her own feelings. She felt shaken looking into the reflection of the ocean.

And then the girl who kept her secrets close to her and dodged questions answered a silent one. “My parents died when I was 16.”

Shit. Raelle felt worse now sulking when the girl next to her was as burned as she was. Even more so. At least her pop was still around.

“It was an accident at their work place. Gas tank explosion. The lab they worked at had been too greedy to pay for the repairs and pushed to keep this secret buried afterwards.”

Shocked Raelle stared at the other girl. “I – I don't know what to say. Sorry.”

“It never became fine but it became bearable. For years I had walked around filled with hate and anger but I learned I couldn't make everything about my parents' deaths.”

Raelle remembered Scylla's comment earlier about how parents couldn't stay an excuse forever. “That's what you meant about Abigail's family.”

Scyllas small smile seemed forced. Her eyebrows creased. “I usually don't talk about myself that easily.”

“Me neither,” Raelle confessed and shifted towards the brunette. “But with you it feels like I did not share my story with a practical stranger but with someone I feel like I've known all my life.”

Scylla scoffed lowly. The smile that returned on her lips was more earnest than before. “I get what you mean.”

Not thinking about it too much, Raelle reached for Scylla's hand, when their fingers entwined it felt like the most natural thing. They leaned back on the mattress again and continued to ignore whatever movie played at the theater and instead looked up into the sky and gazed at the stars.

It turned out her biochemistry tutor was not only a good lecturer on biochemistry but on astrology, too. Scylla pointed to stars and could trace constellations with her fingers.

After a while they stayed silent and watched the stars in comfort. Raelle felt at piece again knowing that she had found someone who understood her pain and who she could just fall back into just being happy with.

It was Scylla who broke the silence, “You know, I heard the kids these days climb the store around the corner to watch the movies from there.”

“Nah, wouldn't have felt right for a first date,” Raelle countered with a grin.

Scylla turned towards her a small smirk on her lips and mischief returned to her eyes. “So this is a date?”

Gosh, Raelle hoped so but she chose to play it cool. “Didn't we cover that page already?”

“Good. So since we are on the same page...” Scylla leaned forward.

For a moment the world around Raelle blanked out. Then she felt Scylla's lips on hers. They were warm. Firm yet tender... full.

A warmth seized through her like a flood rising constantly but instead of feeling too hot she felt safe and rooted. Yet at the same time the world was spinning.

The kiss ended as fast as it started. When Scylla pulled back Raelle whimpered. She was dazed beyond control. It felt like softly waking up from the most wonderful dream as she blinked her stupor away. When she came to she fell into ocean blue eyes glittering and noticed an all too satisfied smirk.

She needed to kiss that smirk off.

Now.

Without a second thought Raelle dove in.

Passion seized through her like a bonfire . She grabbed Scylla's neck with both hands and pulled her closer. Her lips surged forward in a searing kiss. She held Scylla close when she changed the angle. Eager not to let go too soon. The tremble of Scylla's lips sent sparkles of desire into her and urged her on.

  
She shifted closer, rolling into Scylla and pressing her into the mattress of the loading space.

When she pulled away they were both breathless. With heated cheeks and panting puffs of air between them. With pride Raelle thought that she did this and the shaking of the brunette's hands were a tale-tale sign that she was just as overcome by this exchange between them as Raelle was.

For their third kiss they came together at the same time. A endless spin of caressing lips, nibs and toe curling kisses. It was only when the movie had ended and a cinema guy walked to them to remind them to leave the site that they were barely able to break from each other both shivering despite the warm summer night.

\-----

“You're late.”

  
When the door fell into its hinges and the voice came from the sofa Raelle almost jumped out of her skin. Abigail and Tally sat on the couch. A movie played on the TV. Somehow Raelle felt like she sneaked in after curfew on a Saturday night making out with a girl. Well, on that note 3/3 points were true.

“Hi,” Tallys beamed at her.  
  


“Had a date,” Raelle pointed out and flung herself on the ottoman next to her roommates. The movie seemed to be some kind of horror movie. Tilting her head a bag of popcorn came into her view but it was in Abigail's grip. Though Raelle knew by now why Abigail had given her shit since she moved in, she still was not going to put her hand into a lion's den even if the smell of popcorn made her mouth water.

She was almost shocked when the bag of popcorn reached into her periphery. Irritated she looked at Abigail. The taller girl smiled and told her, “Thank you for what you did.”

In an instant Raelle knew that Abigail referred to the notebook which Raelle could not repair but save the hard drive and therefore Abigail's paper. She had left the storage medium on the kitchen unit this morning. Now Raelle was the one smiling. “You're welcome,” she replied.

“Group hug?” Tally chirped in almost bouncing off the sofa. “No?” she asked because neither of her roommates had moved an inch. “Too soon?”

“Too soon,” Abigail and Raelle blurted out at the same time.

“So bring your girl over after your next date,” Abigail said after a while to Raelle. Later one wondered whenever she had told her roommates that she had met a girl or liked them for that matter. It was only when she returned to her room and saw her lips smeared with rests of Scylla's lipstick Raelle knew that Abigail had not boldly guessed that Raelle's date was a girl.

Before going to bed Raelle was happy and felt comfortable. She just had the need to write her pop.

_Dear Pop, how are you? Made some friends._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I did not manage to post this sooner because I had to work the last weekend and then I've got sick. Anyway, only one chapter to go. Better not make promises on the time, though. ':D


End file.
